If you want a group of people in a workshop to produce good productive thinking, there is a great method which is really easy to implement. I call it “Think first – then talk”.
The problem is that if you let someone start talking on a subject, from that very moment that person dominates the thinking of the whole group. The others will all start associating from whatever the first speaker is saying. This is very poor usage of the creative potential of a group. The remedy is to require all participants to do some individual thinking before the exchange begins. This way each person can form his/her own ideas without any external influences. This in turn produces a much broader initial set of ideas to build on.
The principle “Think first – then talk” is not only applicable in group scenarios. It also serves as a useful guide for individual conduct in most situations. It can really save you a lot of embarrassment and awkward explaining – not that I would know 
Ciao, Johan
